Gibson 2014 Government Series Les Paul

When federal agents raided Gibson in 2011 to seize stocks of ebony and rosewood that they claimed were in violation of the Lacey Act, they also took away several completed necks and bodies made largely from wood that was uncontested. Now that the Federal charges have been dropped, in a deal agreed between Gibson and the Justice Department, several partially completed neck and body blanks have been returned to the factory, ready to be incorporated into Gibson USA's new Government Series, a wry celebration of an infamous moment in Gibson history.

The Government Series Les Pauls--which are powerful and superbly playable guitars in and of themselves--include a number of completed necks and entire rough guitars, all still stamped with the 2011 serial numbers they were given before being taken away by federal agents. Interspersed among the general production run of the Government Series, the confiscated and returned components will be "golden tickets" of a sort, rendering these particular guitars instantly collectible.

Regardless of each guitar's origins, whether seized or not, each wears a commemorative Government series finish in vintage gloss nitrocellulose, with black hardware, and a pickguard that is hot-stamped with the Government Series emblem. In addition, each guitar carries a pair of Gibson's powerful Dirty Fingers + humbucking pickups, and the full traditional Les Paul pedigree for unparalleled tone and playability.

The Government Series Les Paul is built on a foundation of the same traditional tonewood combination that helped to make the Les Paul Standard legendary when it first arrived six decades ago. A carved solid maple top lends bite and articulation to the sound, while a select mahogany back--treated with Gibson's modern weight relief for the perfect blend of playing comfort and sonic resonance--contributes superb warmth and depth.

Both body and fingerboard are left unbound, and the commemorative pickguard is included in the case, rather than mounted on the guitar, to enhance the stark, bold look of the instrument. A solid, quarter-sawn mahogany neck is glued in and carved to an extremely comfortable "Studio '50s" profile that measures .818" at the 1st fret and .963" at the 12th. It is topped with a genuine, one-piece rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets and traditional trapezoid inlays. Classic Gibson construction ensures optimum playability, too, along with traditional specs like a 24 3/4" scale length, a 1 11/16" width across the PLEK-cut Corian nut, and a 12-inch fingerboard radius for smooth, easy bending.

The Government Series Les Paul's aggressive looks are backed up in the tone department by a pair of new Dirty Fingers + humbuckers. Built with three newly structured Ceramic 8 magnets and over-wound coils on the Treble pickup to compliment the hot Rhythm pickup, and packed with 44 AWG wire, the New Dirty Fingers + humbuckers provide unfathomable crunch and unparalleled sustain. A traditional two volume, two tone control section features complimentary black Speed Knobs, and the guitar's Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, and Grover tuners are all plated in black.

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"Pretty gnarly limited gibson"

Overall:
I haven't put a lot of hours on this yet, I just received it today. I've played it about an hour, but I purchased this more for collectability. Maybe it'll be worth a few grand when I give it to my daughter in a few (20? 30?) years.
It's well made, ships with a hardshell case (just black, no stamp of the government series on the case), came setup fairly well. The neck has a nice profile, I feel is it's good and chunky. The color is unique, the black hardware on tan really makes it stand out.
It was fun to play, and the dirty fingers pickups sound OK. I mostly play kind of rockabilly/punk/hard rock through an original 5150. I seem to be able to get the sounds I like.
Comes with a letter signed by the CEO, and a pickguard stamped with the Government Series logo.
Really, you're either in two groups if you're buying this guitar.
You bought it to collect (like me) and play it gently.
Or you bought it because you like the specs, and want a unique LP Studio type guitar.
Within 5 years I'll have it carefully mounted in a shadow box displaying the guitar and the accessories.
So keep in mind, I'm reviewing this as a COLLECTORS item. It does play well, and I had fun, but that's not why I purchased this guitar.
If you want to check out some additional pictures, I posted on the official gibson forum Les Paul section. Just search for Government Series II and it should pop up.

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"Collectors Dream that will blow the roof off the house."

Overall:
Just received the Les Paul Series II Government Model and just had to plug it in.The tuners are smooth and holds the tuning very well.The neck is wide and comfortable,the way I like it.The Fingerboard is very well done as well as the frets.I like the contrast of the Desert Sand colored body and neck and the Black Chrome of the Hardware.The Dirty Fingers Humbuckers do what they are supposed to do,"Blow the roof off the house" but they will also dial down to a sweet Blues tone.If you are looking for a beautiful piece of furniture finish,this isn't the guitar for you.This is a workhorse guitar that will be a collectors dream due to the scarcity.

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